Memory and Law
CCJ 4934, MWF 7th, FAC 0120
3 credit hours
Fall/2015
Instructor:
Zoe Arthurson-McColl
zsarthur@ufl.edu
Office Hours: TBA
Course Communications: students may come to the scheduled office hours or email the
instructor with questions. If students are unable to make the scheduled office hours they
should email the instructor to ask for a meeting at a different time, suggesting at least two
times during the week that would work.
Required Text: The SAGE Handbook of Applied Memory, Edited by Timothy J. Perfect
and D. Stephen Lindsay
Additional Resources: there will be some classes that require students to have read one
or more journal articles – in these cases, the full citation will be provided beforehand so
that students can find the required article(s) on their own.
Course Description: Examines research on memory with an emphasis on applications to
issues in the law. Topics include memory for people and objects, source-monitoring,
influences on eyewitness memory, interviewing witnesses, and false memory.
Purpose of Course: The purpose of this course is to go over the theory and research on
memory and their applications to the law and legal issues. We will address research on
memory for different categories of subjects (e.g., people versus objects), common
misconceptions of memory, and frameworks for understanding memory processes as they
are relevant to the legal system. We will also focus on actual events/cases/stories that
highlight the issues we cover, such as the factors involved in and consequences of
mistaken eyewitness identifications.
Course Goals and/or Objectives: By the end of this course, students will:
1. Demonstrate the ability to compile and summarize information on a specific
area of the course material through high quality writing.
2. Have a sufficient knowledge of memory topics to be able to develop and
explain an informed opinion on how memory is relevant to different legal
issues and events.
3. Be able to understand the processes of research and knowledge generation in
memory and law, and consider various viewpoints/explanations for the
findings of memory research and how it applies to the law and legal research.
Teaching Philosophy: see attached.
Course Policies:
Attendance Policy: attendance is required and will be taken at every class. Students are
permitted to miss up to 5 classes without penalty; notification of a missed class does not
need to be given to the instructor. Being absent from more than the permitted 5 classes
will result in a penalty against a student’s grade.
Make-up Policy: students will be permitted to make-up an exam only if notice is given at
least 48 hours in advance; the missed exam will count as an absent on the student’s
attendance, and failure to contact the instructor about the need for a makeup exam at least
48 hours in advance will result in the student receiving a zero on the exam. Makeup
exams will need to be scheduled within a week of the original exam date, and students
should be able to write the makeup exam during office hours or suggest at least 3 other
times when they would be able to do so.
Assignment Policy: all assignments will be given in-class and posted on the class
website. All assignments must be handed in, not emailed, at the beginning of class on the
assigned due date. If, for any reason, students are unable to print out their assignments intime, they must email their assignments in before class begins and have until the end of
that day to get the hard-copy to me.
Technology: the use of all technology (i.e., cell-phones, tablets, laptops) is prohibited in
class, unless otherwise specified by the instructor. Students violating this policy will be
asked to leave the class. Students with disabilities must provide the instructor with the
appropriate documentation if they require the use of technology in the classroom.
UF Policies:
University Policy on Accommodating Students with Disabilities: Students requesting
accommodation for disabilities must first register with the Dean of Students Office
(http://www.dso.ufl.edu/drc/). The Dean of Students Office will provide documentation
to the student who must then provide this documentation to the instructor when
requesting accommodation. You must submit this documentation prior to submitting
assignments or taking the quizzes or exams. Accommodations are not retroactive,
therefore, students should contact the office as soon as possible in the term for which they
are seeking accommodations.
University Policy on Academic Misconduct: Academic honesty and integrity are
fundamental values of the University community. Students should be sure that they
understand the UF Student Honor Code at http://www.dso.ufl.edu/students.php.
**Netiquette: Communication Courtesy: All members of the class are expected to follow
rules of common courtesy in all email messages, threaded discussions and chats.
[Describe what is expected and what will occur as a result of improper behavior –
http://teach.ufl.edu/docs/NetiquetteGuideforOnlineCourses.pdf
Getting Help:
For issues with technical difficulties for E-learning in Sakai, please contact the UF Help
Desk at:
● Learning-support@ufl.edu
● (352) 392-HELP - select option 2
● https://lss.at.ufl.edu/help.shtml
** Any requests for make-ups due to technical issues MUST be accompanied by the
ticket number received from LSS when the problem was reported to them. The ticket
number will document the time and date of the problem. You MUST e-mail your
instructor within 24 hours of the technical difficulty if you wish to request a make-up.
Other resources are available at http://www.distance.ufl.edu/getting-help for:
 Counseling and Wellness resources
 Disability resources
 Resources for handling student concerns and complaints
 Library Help Desk support
Should you have any complaints with your experience in this course please visit
http://www.distance.ufl.edu/student-complaints to submit a complaint.
Grading Policies and Course Schedule
See attached for assignments and grade percentages, and the planned course schedule.